The Portland Timbers had lost three games in a row heading into their home game Saturday versus the LA Galaxy. The Galaxy came into the match winless in their opening three games, with their last two ending in draws. Both teams desperately needed a result coming into the game.
Both teams would play to a scoreless draw at Providence Park.
Here's how we go 📝
▪️ First MLS start for Guti ☝️
▪️ Bingham in goal 🧤
▪️ Bonilla in the back 💪#RCTID pic.twitter.com/BYbbffXQ85— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) March 25, 2023
In order to inject some life into the club, Timbers head coach Gio Savarese inserted Diego “Guti” Gutierrez and Pablo Bonilla into the lineup. Nathan Fogaça earned his second consecutive start.
The Portland Timbers and LA Galaxy had an injury list that looked like an NFL midseason injury update.
It was rather impressive (and a little depressing) hearing Gio rattle off all of these updates. #RCTID https://t.co/RthBIQA9QF
— Sam Svilar (@sammich923) March 23, 2023
LA had their fair share of issues too. They were missing seven players: Chicharito, Douglas Costa, Jonathan Bond, Marcus Ferkranus, Dejan Joveljić, Kelvin Leerdam, and Eriq Zavaleta.
The Timbers went extremely direct with their play in the first half, and all of the statistics backed it up. It was an ugly display of football and highlighted how sloppy they were with the ball.
Both teams were extremely physical, and there were a ton of fouls committed and not called in the opening 45 minutes. Guti and David Bingham were the two bright spots for the Timbers.
In the first half, the Galaxy dominated proceedings with 10 shots on goal, while Portland had one. The Timbers were out-possessed 29% to 71%. In the 13th minute, Portland got lucky when Galaxy forward Preston Judd’s shot hit the post after he got past the backline of Portland.
In the second half, play continued to be chippy. For 80 minutes, the Timbers were outplayed by the Galaxy.
In the last 15, though, Portland found some magic and dangerous moments. Tega Ikoba brought a spark to the game when he subbed in for the Timbers in the 76th minute. Portland outshot LA Galaxy 9-7 in the second half.
The final possession numbers were terrible for the Timbers: Portland with 32.8% and LA with 67.2%.
Identity crisis
I will ask continue to ask until we get an answer: who is this Portland Timbers team? What are they trying to accomplish on the pitch? Where is the creativity? Is the counterattack completely gone?
The performance early on was sloppy, and they couldn’t manage to escape a single line of pressure. In the second half, the Timbers were a lot better and finally showed the trademark counterattack in the last few minutes.
With the team finally getting healthy, we could see improvement coming sooner rather than later.
The @TimbersFC look so far from scoring and you don’t need the stats to back that up. Possession was never an issue for them because they’d get you on the counter. However the #9 position has been lacking vs other teams in @MLS (West Conference) over recent years. #RCTID #MLS
— Taylor Twellman (@TaylorTwellman) March 25, 2023
“I thought it was a performance of a team that wanted to get a win three points,” Savarese said. “When we have players missing, then players have to step up, and I saw a lot of players stepping up today. It wasn’t perfect, but when you have the desire, the heart, the commitment and determination to give everything that you have, what else can I ask?”
Jazzy benched
Through the first five games of 2023, goalkeeper Aljaž Ivačič has made one start, while Bingham has made four.
Although Bingham has been good in goal, he does not possess the immense upside that Jazzy does.
However, Bingham is as reliable as they come. Savarese knows exactly what he can expect from Bingham each time he’s in goal.
He made huge saves throughout the match to keep the game scoreless. His positioning was very good and played a fine game in goal.
This was his second clean sheet on the season, but unfortunately the turf monster claimed its next injury in Bingham.
We wish him all the best in his recovery.
Gio Savarese: “It’s unfortunate that a player would go and talk to a reporter in that way. … He’s still an important part of our team. … Sometimes players say these things because they’re too emotional.”
Said the choice was made to prevent Ivacic from getting injured. #RCTID https://t.co/pcuuYCSxZk
— Ryan Clarke (@RyanTClarke) March 25, 2023
The tension between Ivačič and Savarese could land him on the bench for the near future. Not a good look for a struggling Timbers side.
Could we see 20-year-old Hunter Sulte start, instead? It looks like it.
Guti & Bonilla start
Photo by Kris Lattimore
Guti has been strong for the Timbers in the minutes he has received. Those opportunities earned Gutierrez his first start. Juan David Mosquera, who is on international duty with Colombia, was replaced by Pablo Bonilla.
Gutierrez and Bonilla were both active and energetic throughout the game. Bonilla did not have many opportunities to come forward, but he was efficient in defense. He also led the team in crosses. Guti had many bright moments with his dribbling and passing.
After the match, Gio said Guti could see more minutes moving forward if he continues his current form. “Gutierrez played very well,” he said. “Now he’s going to compete and push others, and that’s what we want.”
Injury list
At this rate, the Portland Timbers could field a whole injured side. That’s how long their list is. Players continue to get healthier each week, but so far, when they get players back, more go on it.
“Right now, we’re unlucky with the injuries,” Diego Chará said after the match. “That’s really disappointing for us.”
Still, the Timbers have no choice but to continue on.
Standouts
- The Post: Soccer is a brutal game, especially when it comes to the score. You could dominate a match and still not get the desired outcome. The Galaxy hit the post twice, and that was the difference in the game.
- Diego Gutierrez offers something very different as a winger and it will help the Timbers this season. Guti has the ability to dribble and keep possession or take players on. He keeps putting up good performances and should have a role on the team moving forward. He led the team with six dribbles and three successful dribbles on Saturday. He also was near the top for completed passes, crosses attempted, recoveries, and touches.
- David Bingham got the nod over Ivačič, and it paid off. Bingham was clutch throughout the game, and his positioning was solid throughout. He came up with four saves, all in crucial moments. His injury at the end was the worst news you could get at the end of the game. He has two clean sheets in four starts this year.
- Tega Ikoba continues to bring the energy and excitement. In his 14 minutes, the Timbers were the better team in the game. Savarese said he will see more minutes in upcoming games.
Stock down
- Injuries: Another game, and two more injuries.
- Officiating: This got out of hand and overly-physical. Referee Chris Penso needed to set the tone earlier and refused to do so. It was very fortunate to not see more players injured. The only consistency was that he was bad for both sides. The game ended with 29 total fouls.
Chris Penso is having one of the worst officiating performances I’ve ever seen at Providence Park. #RCTID
— Stumptown Footy (@StumptownFooty) March 25, 2023
Key stats: Team leaders
- Claudio Bravo paced the team with 13 possessions won and 64 touches.
- Zac McGraw led the team with four tackles and three blocks
- Diego Chará conducted the show with the team’s strongest performance in passing accuracy in the final third.
- Santiago Moreno was Portland’s most active player in the attack, with 17 passes in the final third.
Quote of the Night
Perhaps the game was best summed up by Savarese: “We are in a good place in our mind and our hearts, and now we have to get more players in.”